


Battle wounds

by LaureLey



Series: Cadeyrn/Celestia [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Blood, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Modern Era, Swearing, mild mentions of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-26 22:31:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18186491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaureLey/pseuds/LaureLey
Summary: The battle had drained them. Returning home was harder.





	Battle wounds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nobody_Alchemist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nobody_Alchemist/gifts).



> No particular universe, I just threw this together in the hopes to help a struggle through. I tried to bring comfort despite the heaviness.  
> Changed to M just to be safe, lots of naked-touching, but little else.

Her boots thudded along the walkway, heavy and grim with each of the breath they took. Cadeyrn wasn't faring much better by her side, but her weight was settled across his shoulders regardless, half-pulling her along until they could reach their apartments. Blood trickled sluggishly down her arm with every step, despite the quick patchup they'd done, despite the red potion she'd already ingested. A little more and she would have lost her arm. Her breath shuddered at the thought, but they walked on, slowly edging to the curved stairs and the door up top.

She didn't have the strength to make it that far-- she really didn't, but there was no alternative she was willing to consider; not when Cadeyrn still breathing shallowly because of his bruised ribs. Her boot clanked on the first step, right arm clutching at the rail as she hoisted herself up, using her upper body's strength more than her legs. It hurt. Her vision swam into a thick blackness before she bit it back and fought, placing her foot one step higher.

They would be home. Just a bit more. They would be home.

Cadeyrn could get his elixirs, and she didn't give a damn if she was going to see pink elephants through the evening, she needed the quick healing that they would bring. Her left arm still hadn't unclenched from where she'd snared it on her shirt once she'd seen the damage the red potion struggled to heal, and she wasn't about to risk it. Each step was a battle-- upward motion was an all out war with her legs, with her muscles, with her strength, but she fought, tooth, nail and bone, she fought to get there. One tiny step at a time. Her nose almost smacked onto the door when she reached it.

Keys and clicks and things she really couldn't register, snaring at her barely-conscious mind. The door shuddered, and opened wide, and Celestia managed two steps before her body gave in, exhaustion trampling her onto the ground of their foyer. Cadeyrn wasn't much better, closing the door behind them and locking it, before he curled into the hollow of her body, his breaths shallow as they both allowed themselves a rest a break from the entire struggle getting here had been. Her body felt like an other entity entirely, disassociated with her so that she couldn't even remember how to move her arm away.

Time lost its meaning. Minutes or hours-- she didn't give a fuck. It just lingered, pressing, snaring at her thoughts, and at her body, cradling her into a hold she knew would be deadly, but she had no strength to fight it. Her whimper roused him, breath still struggling into her lungs. Cadeyrn's eyes were dark, nearly black when he looked back at her, and she tried to move, but-- there was nothing. There was nothing in her that could rise anymore, and she groaned against the sleep that attempted to assail her, knowing that she couldn't fall into its deadly embrace.

"Drink." His voice was rough, grating against his throat. The flask was pressed to her lips, his hand holding her head upright as he encouraged her. "Drink," he repeated, more firmly this time, until she'd allowed a trickle into her mouth. It fizzled onto her tongue unpleasantly, and she could taste the magic, like ginger garnished with cinnamon and other nameless spices. Swallowing was a battle of its own, but she needed this. She needed this.

It lumped into her throat like lead, but she could feel the warmth spread as it trickled down further. Swollen and bruised muscles were soothed with the play of magic, unfurling like flowers reaching for the sun, freeing her airways to an easier breath. She seeped into the comfort of it, breathing back and forth again and again as the potion made it's way onwards, easing her pain.

She could have lain there for another eternity, but Cadeyrn wouldn't allow her to, brushing a kiss onto her brow before lifting her into his arms. Her weight was off-balanced-- as it always was; but this was the first time she noticed him having trouble with it. Her right hand rose in a half-hearted attempt to push him away, but his raven-black gaze stopped her before she could suggest it, before she could even attempt it. Instead, he cradled her closer, and struggled to bring them both into the bathroom slowly, one steady step at a time.

At least his breathing didn't rattle anymore. Hers still did.

He helped her in the bathtub, still dressed and grimy all the way down to her boots. She grunted as her cheek pressed against the cold hard edge of the porcelain, but there was nothing left in her to complain, or move-- or anything. Empty, tired and drained, Celestia tried to gather what was left of her will to get undressed, struggling with it even before she could gather enough to make an attempt. The vial was pressed to her lips again, and she didn't wait for his order to sip lightly at the spiced red liquid. She noticed the vial didn't stray far, before her lover picked at her boots.

It seeped deeper within this time, her breath snatched into a groan as Cadeyrn paused against the lace of her boots, glancing back at her, she guessed, but she didn't have the strength to look. A hiss followed, raw and broken, but she allowed it out of her lungs, and another slow breath made it in, fuzzing against her tongue where some of the potion still lingered. She knew even magic struggled at this point, knew that she had lost too much blood and for it to snap-heal her injuries; it first needed to boost the production of red cells. Knew it, but it didn't make her feel patient.

One boot slid off her foot before the other one was equally snatched, and with those off, and out of the bath, Cadeyrn snapped the hot water open, spilling it across her blood encrusted clothes. There would be no saving the fabric at this point anyways, and more than minding the state of her clothes, Cadeyrn was more worried about the way Celestia couldn't even shiver despite the way her entire body was riddled with goosebumps. The vial was propped to her lips again, and she swallowed, and with that done, Cadeyrn breathed a bit easier.

He was weak and dizzy himself, no doubt about that-- but with the warmth of a bath and the security of their apartment, there was some comfort to be had. Cadeyrn resisted it for one more moment, thudding down the hallway to grab them both large water bottles and kick off his own boots before he settled in the bath as well. Celestia managed to push herself ever so slightly away from the edge as he settled behind her, their clothes both floating and clinging uncomfortably in ways they couldn't linger on just yet. But soon. Soon.

Heat soothed them both inside and out. The potion worked wonders on their bleeding, broken bodies, but left exhaustion in its wake, just as dangerous as the wounds that they struggled to rise from. The bath helped them conserve some of their energy against the cold, but also snared him in the dangerous promise of sleep. Celestia didn't manage to stay awake for much longer, as her head lolled to his shoulder, and all her muscles slackened in abandon. He allowed it. She would need the rest.

The exhaustion of his own healing snared at his limbs and thoughts, but Cadeyrn couldn't allow them to win out in the end. He'd gotten lucky-- bruises could be healed much more easily than blood loss, as his body was still in possession of all that it needed to repair itself; Celestia's was another matter entirely. Her shoulder needed help-- badly, and he needed to stave off the infection that might come along first. And for that, he needed access to her skin.

He tried to lift her shirt, but as dead as she was to the world, there was little that he could do to snatch it off her at all. He tried to rip it apart, but his strength was spent from their earlier battle, from coming home, from getting here. Problems after problems tangling with his mind-- but. Well. Celestia wasn't known to be caught without a weapon. He managed to pilfer a small, hand-sized dagger from her boot. It would have to do.

Stitches stretched, then snapped over the blade, ripping with hardly a sound even as Celestia shuddered. He'd started on her good side, but even that didn't stop the movement from jostling her, ever so lightly. Her eyes were glazed when she opened them again, voice thin and lost somewhere between her brain and her mouth.

"Cadeyrn?" She sounded so small.

"I'm here, Elia." He couldn't still his hands, or it would take twice, thrice as long. Her shirt was coming loose at last, and he brought the thorn folds of it to the one sleeve that still held her, wetting it before he would try to split the fabric away from her bloodied skin. Celestia whimpered at the touch.

"Good. Or I woula 'ad ta bust y'up." Her tongue was heavy, her speech slurred with the effects of the potion-- and he knew it was much, much worse in her head, where she would be so utterly conscious of the way her body wasn't working. All the side effects of heavy alcohol- with none of the cognitive loss. Her face scrunched lightly at the realization.

"Try and sleep more, Elia. It'll help."

At least in her sleep, she would not be as frustrated as she was clearly getting, her sluggish body aggravating her through its loss of function. And the nausea, dizziness and other fun side effects would be diminished if she were unconscious to them. Her frown deepened as she attempted to speak-- but her head lolled against his neck, and Cadeyrn didn't catch that.

With the cloth now warm and wet, her lover teased the edge of her blade along the bend of her arm, carefully peeling it away as he sought a splay of skin that wouldn't hurt her too badly-- but the bite was large, her entire arm blotted with puncture wounds. Her throat worked through a sound he was sure she hadn't meant to utter, and Cadeyrn shifted her deeper into his embrace.

"Bite me." He murmured, and her breath scuffed at his neck a bit.

"Da's kinkeh." Lost and in pain as she was, Celestia wasn't about to miss the opportunity to sass at him, and her response had him smiling, before his lips were pressed to her forehead. Celestia took a moment to shift, breathing deeply in her nose and out through her mouth, before her teeth sank very lightly onto his shoulder. Despite the circumstances, Cadeyrn couldn't help but being particularly aware of the gesture-- probably because of her. He didn't make her wait.

The snap of his wrist wrecked the fabric between a rip and a slice, each stitch rocking through her like an explosion. Her bite held, then was lost behind a barrage of swears, half formed between her tongue and her brain as she fell boneless against him; breathing for all her lungs were worth. She drank relief in the press of his lips within the strands of her hair, sinfully gentle behind the thorns of her wound. Softly. Softly.

Slips of time narrowed her vision, damning her to snippets of awareness. The edge of his throat, of his shoulder, dipping away. Raven hair against porcelain white. The snatch of cloth giving way to the stroke of skin. Silken, warm skin against her cheek, under her nose, supporting her form.

"Cayd--" she tried, but he was already hushing her softly, stroking her left shoulder-- her wounded shoulder. Her voice escaped her by reaction more than pain, so numb was she to it all-- or... was it just her or?

Silken touches. It itched lightly, uncomfortable, as the potion fizzled against her skin, but it worked, knitting the heavy punctures into tiny, dime-like scars around the bend of her shoulder. Celestia' eyes fluttered in her exhaustion again, but there was no more pain to contest against, and the relief of it made her... greedy. Fingertips latched onto the belt loops of his pants as she leaned her cheek onto his naked chest. Cadeyrn smiled against the curve of her forehead.

He was warm. And soft. And careful.

The battle had lasted for hours. Her back was still cramped after the sudden, bold movements that she had forced her body through, if only to save a moment, a second off a dodge, off a strike. The blink of an eye, which decided on its outcome. The press of her lover against her at long last was a better balm for her soul than the potion. Her fingers tightened onto his pants as she breathed in deeply.

"Sleep," he encouraged again gently. "I'll watch over you."

But who would watch over him? Kind as his offer was, Celestia wouldn't-- couldn't take it, because even if she was weak with fatigue, she knew it was hard for her lover too; he'd gotten injured as well, and the exhaustion snap-healing caused would linger in his limbs too. She edged her teeth along his chest as her answer, scraping along a touch before kissing his warm skin. He was stuck with her, for better or for worse. His breath tangled in his lungs at her touch, a hint of his surprise-- before his hand splayed against the skin of her lower back.

He was just as greedy for her presence as she was for his, latching onto the slightest give they could grant one another. It gave them warmth, not for their person, but for their selves; a comfort of the soul, needing little to no words- only their understanding, their willingness to be there. Cadeyrn's lipring caught onto her own piercings at the bend of her ear, before he nuzzled the curve of her shoulder, scratching her skin ever so slightly with the stubble of his pinch.

Her hands slipped down the rough textile of his pants before she could think better of it, tugging them down as best as her uncooperative body allowed her. Catching on, Cadeyrn helped her along, sliding out of them with some trouble-- though blissfully, only twinges of pain flared at their movements. Her shorts were next, baring her almost entirely and in moments, the contact of their skins sank into the both of them, deeply into them. Her sigh brushed at his shoulder as her stance widened against him, finding comfort at the way they touched- from knees to thighs to chests to neck, her and him tangled like two parts of the same song, a lullaby for her broken, healing body.

"Tll me smthng," her throat mumbled, laying her palms flat against the small of his back now that she could reach him. Slumped, drained, there was little that could keep Celestia awake after it all, little desire for her to remain aware-- but she couldn't give him up like this. Every moment was a battle of her will, pushing back the dark oblivion behind her eyelids as she kept them trained onto her husband's adams apple.

"I really wish I had the energy to fuck you right now." Offhanded though his comment was, Celestia couldn't deny it, even snorting as her lips pulled into a smile, remembering the powerful grace of him on the battlefield. Fuck, everytime they came back from a fight, their desires were undeniable, lusting for the warrior in one another just as they desired every other facet, from queen to cook to patient kindness and cocky mechanic.

He was speed and teeth, like an adder- striking fast and skirting away in the same movement leaving an open gash behind, and draining down his enemies. She was strength and creative thinking, using her hammer both as a weapon and as an expected counterbalance, darting high then low within a moment's notice, her kicks tripping down grown men. Lightning-swift and thunder-damning, they struck one after the other with the fury of hell, ever watchful over the other's back.

She wanted to feel him too, tempted to settle him deep inside her simply for the satisfaction of holding him there- but there was no way to do that without draining the last of their strength into one another, and Celestia didn't have any energy left to shift over him regardless. Her teeth snagged onto the curve of his neck instead, breathing deeply of him as she relaxed. The washcloth that glided over her skin was a welcome surprise, and she moaned as he rubbed the grime off her shivering body.

Slowly, Cadeyrn worked a lather across them both, limb by limb by limb. It drained him-- even just this, it drained him, and his small wife felt the exhaustion settle across him just as firmly as onto her, but there could be no rest for them yet. She was tired, she was done-- so done-- but Celestia still tried, reaching out with a cupped hand to let a trickle of water down her shoulders, one after the other, before doing the same to him. She felt his lips quirk up against her forehead as Cadeyrn basked under her helping hand, dragging the last of his strength together for this.

"Let's get ourselves to bed, alright?"

His words included both, but-- but. She was lifted out of the bathtub before she could muster the strength to rise; her lover holding her for the few seconds it took him to sit her down on the cold counter. She shivered at the harsh feeling of the stone under her rump, but Cade was too soon there, drying her leg, then patting the other softly before proceeding upwards, smoothing away any trickle from her skin. He finished at her chin, sweeping away a drop of water before his mouth found hers, pressing across the growing curve of her pout.

Dried and warm and safe, the both of them. Her hand tangled into his hair as he swept her into his arms again, trudging the last few steps to their bed, despite his exhaustion, despite his own pains. Cadeyrn laid her across the mattress and she pulled him down against herself, tired for him at the efforts he continuously made for both their sakes. He startled, slow in holding his weight, but the press of his skin against her own made her groan in desire more than heft, cradled underneath his taller frame.

It was her turn to soothe him, even as he began to voice his protest- tangling her limbs solidly onto his own without saying a single more word, and tugging him even more upon herself. Her breathing and his mingled, slowing, softening as they both finally took sore respite from their constant, constant battling, not only against monsters, but against themselves at this point- against the threat of sleep, against the lassitude in their limbs. Cadeyrn barely bothered slipping the blankets over them both, crawling to her other side so she would not bear his weight as they both slept. She followed along, and tangled her leg with his own as her eyes fluttered of their own volition.

Skin to skin, his heartbeat pressed underneath her cheek. Celestia mumbled words that she lost on her way to sleep, and the last flutter of feeling danced across her brow and lower back as Cadeyrn replied, easing her into his embrace.


End file.
